Marianismo

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Marianismo is a term used in Hispanic American folk cultures that describes an ideal of true femininity, with characteristics derived from the devotional cult of St. Mary of Guadalupe, a central figure of Roman Catholicism in Mexico. It defines standards for female gender roles and is strictly intertwined with machismo and Roman Catholicism. Marianismo revolves around the veneration for feminine virtues like interpersonal harmony, inner strength, self-sacrifice, family, chastity, and morality among Hispanic/Latina women. More ideals regarding the female gender role held within marianismo in Hispanic American culture include those of feminine passivity, sexual purity, and self-silencing. Evelyn Stevens, an American political scientist, states: "[I]t teaches that women are semi-divine, morally superior to and spiritually stronger than men."

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